Install and configure the locales. Suggestion is to install at least the en_US.UTF-8 and your native language locale (e.g. it_IT.UTF-8, de_DE.UTF-8, etc).

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Install and configure the locales. Suggestion is to install at least the ''en_US.UTF-8'' and your native language locale (e.g. ''it_IT.UTF-8'', ''de_DE.UTF-8'', etc).

apt-get install locales

apt-get install locales

Revision as of 18:27, 2 May 2010

This guide will explain how to install Debian GNU/Linux "Lenny" on the Linkstation Live LS-CHL (=LS) using the Debian "debootstrap" procedure. The original kernel will be preserved, as well as the original bootloader (U-Boot).

Basic idea:

create a Debian system with debootstrap

replace the old filesystem with the new one

This guide will ask to open up the device case, reformat partitions, delete existing data, etc. All of these actions may void your warranty, destroy your data, etc. In general you can receive help from the community of from the Buffalo forums but bear in mind that every problem you may encounter is ultimately up to you to solve. You do it at your own risk.

This guide worked on LS-CHLv2 and LS-XHL.

Note also that in the plain Lenny system:

USB support will be missing // solved as 12.Nov.09 , see Posting of Xarks: [1]

power led will keep flashing // provided a method to stop led flashing

system power down will not work

I'm still working on this. Note that micro_evtd will NOT work on the LinkStation.

Obtain root access to the linkstation

Backup the LS

If you have any important data on the LS you definitely need to make a backup.

Even if you don't, you'd better take a snapshot of the vital disk partitions (first and second partition). So you will be able to easily revert to the original stock distribution. [forum post] explains how to do it.

Prepare a Debian Lenny root filesystem

Debootstrap

This is derived from original debootstrap docs.

From the linkstation console download the Debian debootstrap utility and install it with dpkg:

Copy kernel modules from stock kernel

Kernel modules reside in /lib/modules/<kernel version>. Here we are using the stock kernel so we must copy them from the stock initrd to the new rootfs. This must be done from within a chrooted environment in the new system - won't work with stock software.

Installing an empty initrd

Must make an empty initrd in LS' boot partition. Otherwise the stock initrd will start and runs scripts to check for a stock setup. Indeed an initrd is not needed in this Lenny installation as everything can be found on the root filesystem.

"empty initrd" means an initrd with no filesystem. It is not an empty file.